On Two Wheels: Motorcyclists, automobile drivers responsible for safe driving

I routinely receive correspondence from automobile drivers complaining about motorcyclists and motorcyclists complaining about automobile drivers.

In most of the cases, there are points to be made on both sides that are accurate.

For example, there was a recent letter to the editor in The Republican in which a women lamented about what she believed was an excessive amount of zig-zagging and speeding in Springfield traffic by some sport bike riders. Her argument was why should the onus be put on automobiles to be safe if the bikers are going to act in a reckless manner? Conversely you will hear the argument made by bikers that “cage” (cars) drivers just don’t pay attention and have little regard for bikers’ safety. The problem here is that both sides are right and it is literally impossible to have a cure for what ails us.

Whether driving a car or a motorcycle, you are always going to have the reckless operator whom is aggressive and will cause an accident. You see it almost everyday in every place you go. Getting back to the woman’s point about the motorcycles, there are in fact groups of sport bike riders in most large cities that get their kicks out taking chances in traffic so in essence she is right.

Most cruiser drivers such as myself try to avoid city traffic like the plague but we also have the same rights to the roads as everyone else and should not have to worry about being hit. Most bikers I know drive with the attitude that the are not clearly seen and that they will be hit therefore they are that much more cautious.

I am a firm believer that bikers must do everything possible to minimize the danger, such as minding the speed limit and not riding aggressively. You will not win against a car.

And wear a helmet. You hear a lot of pro’s and con’s about helmet choice but since I have been riding in Massachusetts there has always been a mandatory helmet law so I don’t know anything else nor does it bother me.

In addition, take a safety course. Locally, Pioneer Valley Rider Training offers an advanced rider course that can be done while riding two-up. This course is taught be experts that know their business and can give you the tools necessary to get out of a lot of difficult situations. Keep in mind that the vast majority (80 percent or so) of fatal motorcycle accidents in Massachusetts are the fault of the rider for one reason or another and that you are 37 times more likely to die in a motorcycle crash than a car.

Motorists: You hear it time and time again: Look twice and save a life. Just because you don’t see a car don’t assume there isn’t something else there like a bike. Don’t treat bikers like they are second class citizens that have no right to the road.

Recently, a reader commented on one of my columns by stating that he wished that semi’s would kill motorcyclists just because he was annoyed by them. Extreme, yes, but there are people out there that hate bikers.

Clearly, the largest distraction today in terms of the automobile is the advent of cell phones, GPS systems, tablets, smart phones etc., We are now faced with entire generations of people that don’t know of life without these electronics therefore they are not familiar with driving that is NOT distracted. It is just a fact of life, 30 or so years from now no one will remember that we used to use a car for transportation and not a communications center on wheels.

So let us sum it up: There will always be idiots driving both cars and motorcycles. Technology will continue to proliferate lending to even more distractions in the future baring any type of safety system that will warn you of danger. Motorcycles and cars will be around forever so there will be no avoiding interaction between them. The best we can hop for is that common sense will prevail and people will make smart decisions when it comes to driving their vehicle of choice.

Goings on

The Western Massachusetts Motorcycle Alliance is putting on a Family Picnic on Aug. 11 at the Chicopee Moose Family Center located on Fuller Road in Chicopee. The event will run from noon to 8 p.m. and will feature a bounce house, face painting, clowns and more. Food will be available along with a cash bar. The cost is a $5 donation and kids under 12 are free. All proceeds will benefit children’s charities.

The good folks at the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center will be having their annual Ride Like An Animal run on Aug. 17. Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the TJO Center located at 627 Cottage St. in Springfield. The cost is $25 per rider and $20 per passenger. The 65-mile poker run will end with food, music and more. For more information call (413) 533-4817 or log on to www.tjofoundation.org

On Aug. 18, it’s the Clowning For Kidz Foundation Annual Poker Run and Family Fun Day. The poker run is $20 per person and includes a chicken barbecue after the ride. Registration will begin at 9 am at St. Stan’s Polish Club located at 144 South St. in West Warren where the ride will also run. Clowning For Kidz is also selling a limited amount of 300 raffle tickets for not one but two Harley-Davidson Motorcycles. Tickets are $100 each and you will have a chance to win a 2012 Street Bob and a 2013 Sportster 72. log on to www.clowningforkidzfoundation.org for more information.

Until next time, ride safe and ride smart.

Tim Aloisio, of Monson, has been a recreational motorcycle rider for more than 35 years. He is a member of the National Harley Owners Group and the Baggers4Life Riding Group of Chicopee. He can be reached attravelintim@hotmail.com